The present invention relates to a medical apparatus for turning a patient over on a sick bed, and more particularly to a multipurpose body-turn-over apparatus which uses a motor-driven assembly to pull or lower ropes having a net connected to lower ends, so that a patient lying on the net can be automatically turned over regularly. Other treatment means may also be selectively connected to the ropes to help the patient do rehabilitation exercises, etc.
There are many aged, sick, and invalid people lying on bed for a prolonged time and need nurses to regularly turn them over to avoid bedsore and other mental problem resulting from confinement to bed. There are automatic machines developed to help patients turn over and do rehabilitation exercises on sick beds. Most of these sick beds with such automatic machines include two lateral halves that are alternately lifted and lowered by motors or hydraulic cylinders to help patients turn over. However, patients' backs always keep close contact with the sick beds when they are turned over with the help of inclined bed surfaces. Therefore, such sick beds have only limited effect in preventing bedsore. Besides, these sick beds with automatic machines to help patients turn over have complicate structure and are expensive. Not all the patients can afford to buy such a sick bed for use at home. Moreover, such sick beds are usually designed for use by one single patient each. The automatic machines are fixedly mounted on individual sick beds and can not be freely moved to cooperate with multiple sick beds for use in an economical manner.